


This is the end

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Apocalypse, Blood, Gore, M/M, cancer mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 15:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3655809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A cure to cancer goes horribly wrong, killing more than just the illness. Bro Strider and John Egbert are two immune people who happen to run into each other after all their loved ones have died. All they've got is each other as the world is ending around them and there is nothing they can do to prevent it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The cancer cure idea is inspired by the video game 'One Chance'.

She thought she had it. A cure to cancer. One of your best and closest friends who's a scientist had been working all her life to achieve it, just like countless others had done before her. But of course, it had to be her who discovered it. Oh, how you wish it hadn't been. The entire world was amazed, but unfortunately they celebrated a little too early. The cure was only supposed to destroy cancer, of course, but it did so much more than that. It destroyed every single living cell in one's body, giving you a painful and horrible death. Once people realized this, the 'cure' had already been shipped world wide and it was much too late. It couldn't be contained and thousands of people quickly began dying every day, the numbers rapidly increasing into millions.

Not only did it affect people, but it also killed the plant life. If people's gardens suddenly began to wither away, they knew they were screwed. There was no use running away either, since the entire earth was bound to get contaminated and die eventually.

Though, there's a small number of people who aren't affected by the 'cure' at all and are forced to watch as their loved ones die before them. You're one of these people. God, you wish you weren't. Your scientist friend had called you up one night, whimpering about how sorry she was for everything. A gunshot had silenced her, catching you off guard. She took her own life and you were the last person she spoke with, and you couldn't even mutter a single word of comfort. You had read about it in the newspaper the next morning, the headline being 'SCIENTIST ROXY LALONDE ABANDONS ALL HOPE'. You burned the page. She didn't deserve this.

You read the newspaper every day, keeping yourself updated on the status of the world until the newspapers eventually stopped coming. At first you wondered why, but then you realized that it was because there was nobody to print or deliver them. There was nothing on tv either and you kept yourself and your little brother indoors, leaving you with little knowledge, though you guessed it didn't really matter anymore. The trees outside your apartment soon withered away and your neighbors quit making noise. Even that annoying dog that wasn't allowed to be there had quit barking. They were either dead or they had tried to run away, which wasn't uncommon.

You considered leaving as well, but realized that it was much too late for that once Dave fell ill. It was the most horrible thing to watch. Your own little brother who you had raised since birth was slipping right through your fingers like sand, and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it. "I don't wanna go," he had whispered to you one night as blood poured from his mouth and nose, staining his shirt and yours as you held him tightly. You had cried on his shoulder until he wasn't responding anymore, laying limp in your arms. He's gone and now you're all alone in your miserable apartment. Everyone you've ever known are dead and life has suddenly become completely meaningless. Everywhere you turn, there's nothing but death. But you're still alive, and you don't know why.

Eventually, you had to exit your apartment to bury your brother. You placed him in your car and grabbed a shovel before driving to the nearest graveyard, wanting to give him a proper burial. The sun was blazing as you dug the gave by yourself, not pausing for a single moment before you were finished and finally laid down the boy who you raised as your own son. There were no tears in your eyes as you buried him, because you had already shed them all. There was no emotion left, because it had all been felt. You're empty.

So now you're sitting there by a pile of dirt, staring down at your bruised hands. What are you supposed to do now? There's no point in returning home since there's not a single living creature in this deserted city, and rotting in your own misery all alone inside your apartment doesn't seem very tempting. You've never traveled much, but you guess now is a good time to see the world before it crumbles under your feet. So you decide to be strong for your lil brother and stand up from your spot in the withered grass, deciding that you might as well take your shit and just leave. You don't know where you're going though. Maybe you'll just drive until the end of the world, since it's not that far away anyways.

You go home and fill your car with supplies before hitting the gas and speeding out of the city, watching as all the rotting corpses and your old home disappear behind you. A new life awaits you and it's going to be very lonely, or at least that's what you think as you drive for several hours in your own world before an unfamiliar boy stumbles in front of your vehicle and you quickly slam down on the breaks.

Shit.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was moving so fast, you're unsure of what just happened, but you think you managed to steer away from the sudden obstacle. You weren't exactly expecting anything or anyone to be on the road, so you had been driving pretty fast. As the car comes to a rough stop, you quickly look out your window to check wether if you've just become a murderer or not. Luckily, the kid that came out of nowhere seems to be alright. It was a boy, around eighteen years old you assume. He's sitting on the ground with a bewildered expression, probably having fallen back in surprise. He's the only living creature you've seen since Dave's death and you're torn between checking if he's alright or yelling at him for flying out in the road like he had done.

He's not getting up and you finally open your car door before stepping out and walking over to him. He looks up at you with wide eyes as you offer a hand to help him up and he quickly takes it, getting up on his feet. His hand is skinny and shaking, you notice, before letting go of it and watch as he brushes himself off a little. Upon closer inspection, you can see that he's dirty, skinny and bruised. His glasses are cracked and his black hair is a mess, along with his torn clothing. This kid has been through some rough shit, it seems.

"You okay?" you ask him, your voice as emotionless as ever. He nods a little and looks down at his sneakers. "Why the hell did ya jump in the road?" Quickly, he looks up at you with the bluest eyes you've ever seen in your entire life. "I wasn't expecting any cars! And you were driving way too fast," he tells you with a frown. "Yeah well I wasn't exactly expecting any fuckin people to be on the road for me to run over," you shoot back, which you sort of regret when you see his expression. He's scared, it's easy to tell, but still he tries to act tough. "Well sorry, geez," he huffs and fold his arms over his chest like a child, looking away from you. You roll your eyes behind your shades and turn to head back to your car, but stop as a hand grabs at your shirt. "W-wait, where are you going?" the boy asks you and you look at him again. He obviously doesn't want to be alone, but you don't really wish to spend the last of your days babysitting a kid, so you pull yourself away from his hand before moving towards the car again. You don't get very far though before he jumps in front of you, holding out his arms. "You're just gonna go? You can't just leave me here!" You raise an eyebrow over your shades. "And why not?" you ask and the boy falls quiet for a moment as he desperately tries to search for a good reason. "Because.. Because.. There's no one.. We're.." Having wasted enough time, you push past him and finally reach your goddamn car. You can practically feel the blue begging eyes drilling holes in you as you get in and turn the key and- ...Nothing happens. Empty tank. "Are you fucking serious," you mumble, turning the key again but to no use. That's just perfect. You grind your teeth as you exit the car again, kicking the door shut behind you. The kid is still watching you and you think he might be trying not to laugh at your misfortune. "What are you doing now?" he asks as you open the trunk and pull out a backpack you had prepared. "If you really gotta know, I'm gonna go look for fuel," you tell him as you pull out your trusty katana and attach it to your belt. He looks at it with big eyes and flinches slightly as you slam the trunk shut. "Why bring a weapon though? This isn't a zombie apocalypse." "..You never know."

You begin walking around in the town you had stopped in to look for fuel. The kid is following you a few feet back, which doesn't surprise you in the slightest. He's not that bad, but the only problem you have with him is that he never fucking stops talking and he trips over absolutely everything. You tell him to fuck off a couple of times, but all he does is stick out his tongue at you, so you give up and let him follow. Eventually he goes running ahead of you, turning to look at you as he walks backwards. "What's your name?" he asks and you hold back a heavy sigh. "Bro," you answer before the kid trips for the hundredth time and falls on his butt with a squeak, right in front of you. "Jesus, kid. Do you even know how legs work?" you ask him as you hold out a hand to him. "My name isn't kid. It's John Egbert," he says, grabbing your hand and standing up again. "More like Egderp. Don't you have anybody to go to instead of slowing me down?" He falls silent. Guess not.

You continue walking and this time he follows much closer to you. "..There's fuel in our garage," he mumbles and he successfully catches your interest. "And where's that?" "If you take me with you, I'll show you." He gives you an innocent smile and you bite the inside of your cheek. Even if John is kinda annoying, he's still company, and possibly the only you're gonna get. "I'll think about it," you answer, which seems to be a good enough for him. He bounces a little and grabs you by the arm before excitedly showing you the way to his home.

His house is large and white with a big dead yard. There's a car there, probably belonging, or used to belong, to his parents. That means John wasn't abandoned at least, his parents staying with him until the end. Unless they had multiple cars, of course. "The garage is locked but we can get in through the house," John tells you before going inside and you follow. The house reeks of the smell of rotting bodies that you've come to know very well recently, but other than that it seems surprisingly clean. John looks really uncomfortable and hurries over to the door that must lead to their garage. You follow again and catch a glimpse of a white fedora as you pass the kitchen, but you quickly snap your eyes forward as a fuel can is placed in your arms. "Can we.. Can we go now?" John asks you and you're guessing that he doesn't like being at home because his family is rotting here. So you nod and allow him to lead the way out.

"Is there a store nearby?" you ask him once you're out and he shows you where the nearest one is. You didn't pack much food, so you might as well grab some before leaving. The only good thing about your situation is that you can do whatever you want and take whatever you need, because there's no rules anymore.

Of course, the doors to the store are locked, but that's no problem. You tell John to stand back before you grab a big rock, using it to smash the window so that you may enter. You're pleased to hear no alarm. Surprisingly, there are no bodies inside from what you can tell and apparently people just decided to leave this place alone, since the shelves are all mostly fully stocked. The fruit section is kinda rotten, along with all the expired food, but you can deal. It's beginning to get dark out so you suggest to John that you camp here for tonight. He agrees. You set down the fuel before beginning to search the shelves for dinner since you're fucking starving and John looks like he hasn't eaten in days. The power is out, making it a little hard to see since the lights aren't working, but you manage to sniff out candles and a lighter.

After the two of you have eaten, you sit by a few candles with a blanket around you that John had managed to find. There's only one, but you both manage to fit underneath it if you sit close enough. It's a little nice, you guess, though you'd never admit it. "Where are you from?" John asks you suddenly. "A few hours away," you tell him. "Why'd you leave?" This kid really likes to ask questions. "..I don't know. Tired of the same buildings, I guess." "Are there people there?" "..No." He falls quiet for a moment, apparently all out of questions to ask. You watch as the candleflames sway in silence, providing you with little light.

"Everyone here packed their things and left," he spoke again after a bit, his voice more quiet. "But you didn't?" This time you're the one asking questions. "No.. Dad said it was useless. That we were going to die either way." Sounds like a loving father. Then again, you don't really know how a dad is supposed to act since you never had one. Maybe it was best to just say the truth. "So I just prepared myself for the worst, you know? But nothing happened to me. Instead I had to.. Watch my dad.." You can feel John trembling against your side and you know exactly what he feels. It was the same with Dave. You're fine while you have to watch your loved one die a gruesome death. You'd give anything to trade places with you brother. "He was dying so slowly.. I almost couldn't bear to watch it. And then there was blood.. Coming from everywhere... And then.. Then he.. He asked me to shoot him." He's crying now, his face turned to the floor. You remember Dave begging you to just end his misery already when he was close to death, but you could never bring yourself to do it. "Now his brain is on the kitchen floor," he whispers before sobbing heavily and you quickly place an arm around him, holding him close to your chest. He cries into your shirt and you let him do so as you gently stroke his dark hair.

For what feels like hours, you sit there with the crying boy before he slowly becomes silent. You think he's fallen asleep, so you do your best not to wake him up as you blow out the candles.

You both need some rest.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, you wake up to something warm nuzzling your chest. There's a voice softly mumbling incoherent words that almost makes you fall asleep again, but suddenly there's an elbow in your stomach and you jolt awake, opening your eyes. You're met with the bright sunlight shining through the broken window and you quickly fumble for your shades before slipping them on, dimming the light a bit. John looks up from where he had been resting against you and he sits up before rubbing at his eyes, his glasses placed on top of his head. "Morning," he mumbles sleepily and you reply with a grunt before grabbing your hat and placing it over your messy hair. Your entire body aches from lying on the hard floor and you stretch your arms, gaining a pleasing pop. John just makes a face before standing up with the blanket around his shoulders and walks out among the shelves. You consider asking where he's going, but you realize that you don't really care and you're also really fucking tired since you didn't sleep very well. There's no time for more sleep though since the world is ending and blah blah blah.. Your eyes almost fall shut again but you quickly come back to yourself as something is dumped into your lap. A box of poptarts, you realize, and look up at John who's munching on some dry cereal. "Breakfast," he tells you and you pick up the box to look at it, suddenly feeling very hungry. You push up your shades for a moment to rub your tired eyes and you notice John's crunching goes quiet. "What?" you ask as you notice him staring down at you. "U-uh! Nothing!" You let your shades fall back into place after you've rolled your eyes and you open the box you've been given.

After breakfast, you pack a couple of bags with food and grab the fuel before telling John to move his ass. The kid seemed to be staring at a couple of Betty Crocker products in the corner of the store for some reason. "Egderp!" He turns around and quickly skips over to you before deciding to go out the broken window first. You consider telling him to be careful, but before the words even manage to leave your mouth, the kid has already cut himself on a piece of glass. He whimpers a little as blood oozes from a cut in his leg and you sigh in annoyance before walking over to him and put your stuff down. You grab the first aid kit that you packed before telling John to hold still so that you can look at his leg. "It hurts," he mumbles and flinches as you wipe away blood to clean the wound a bit. It would probably need stitches, but you can fix that once you get to the car. You patch it up for now and pat his leg before grabbing you stuff again. "We'll stitch it later." "S-stitch?" John repeats with a nervous expression. "Yup. C'mon," you say, beginning to lead the way back. John follows behind you, limping a bit. This boy is clumsier than Dave ever was.

It takes you a little while to get to the car since you're not the best at directions, but you eventually make it safe and sound. John hops straight into the car to sit down, relieved to give his leg a rest. The wound had bled through the gauze, you notice and dump you stuff in the trunk before moving over to John. "D-does it really need stitches?" he stutters as you kneel in front of him and open the first aid kit again. "Yes," you answer while picking up a needle covered in plastic. "Have you even done this before?" You look up at him before answering. "More times than you can count on both hands and feet." "Oh! So you're a doctor then?" "Not exactly." He gives you a worried look again as you search through the kit. No syringes or anything. "This is probably gonna hurt," you tell him before removing the soaked gauze. He whimpers a bit and you can't help but glance up at him again. If it were Dave, you'd normally just tell him to shut up and take it, but for some reason you didn't wanna tell John the same thing, which seems pretty odd since you barely know him, meaning that you're supposed to care less. "Hold onto this, will ya?" You remove your grey hat from your head and hand it to him. He nods before holding it close. It would almost be cute if you weren't about to stick a needle in him.

Usually, stitching would be easy for you since you often used to sword fight with your little brother and injuries often occurred, but this time it was a little more difficult. The kid wouldn't stop squirming around and he made these heartbreaking noises that normally wouldn't bother you, but for some reason they did now. John clings to your hat the entire time, nearly tearing it apart, which wouldn't make you very happy. You decide to make it quick and fix him up as fast as you can manage before covering up the wound again. "There," you say and look up at him, meeting those wide blue eyes of his. He nods shakily and carefully holds out your hat while trying and failing at keeping a straight face. Again, you feel sorry for him and you're really starting to wonder what the heck is going on with you as you take the hat and place it on his head while getting up. Maybe the 'cure' is getting to you. He blinks at you, but you only turn your back to him and get the fuel to fill up your car so that you can get the hell outta here. You think you catch him smiling from the corner of your eye.

Once the car is ready to go, you hop in the driver's seat while John gets comfortable in the passenger seat, your hat still on his head. "Where are we going?" he asks, but the only answer you have for him is that you don't know. He falls quiet after that and you start up the engine, pleased to see everything working properly. You check to make sure there are no cars coming, which you realize is kinda dumb in your situation, and begin making your way out of town. 

Hours soon begin passing by as you drive to your unknown destination and the only thing that can be heard is the sound of your rusty old vehicle. You glance at your cassette tapes and consider playing one, but that idea quickly fades away as you notice John sleeping with his face pressed against the window. Might as well give him a break. You look back at the road and notice buildings in the distance while suddenly realizing how hungry you are. It's probably best to stop and eat once you get there. You just hope there aren't more people there begging to join you. You've got your hands full with the Egbert kid, honestly. But you don't really mind him tagging along. It's nice with a little company, you guess.


End file.
